NL injury notes: Kim, Marte, Nimmo

On what could be remembered as a decisive day in the race for the National League postseason, all three wild-card teams and the top club below the playoff line lost a key member of their lineup to injury. We have already reported on this Austin Riley's hand/wrist injury tonight on MLBTR, but let's look at some other concerning injuries for the Padres, Diamondbacks and Mets…

• Ha-Seong Kim will undergo an MRI after suffering what Fathers in today's game was described as a shoulder injury. Kim injured himself while diving back to first base on a pickoff attempt in the third inning and immediately left the game in obvious discomfort. Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes that Kim briefly wore a sling but did not have it on when he spoke to the media after the game.It doesn't feel so good at the moment… But I'm just trying to stay optimistic and come back as soon as possible.”, Kim said through his interpreter. Kim, who took over as the Padres’ full-time shortstop this season, has provided strong defense and a roughly league-average (102 wRC+) offense, hitting .233/.330/.370 with 11 home runs and 22 stolen bases in 27 attempts in 470 at-bats. As Sanders notes, the former shortstop Xander BogaertsAll-round talent Tyler Wadeor possibly Jake Cronenworth could be candidates for the shortstop position if Kim goes on the injured list. In the long term, Kim is also expected to be a free agent this winter.
• Ketel Marte has been battling ankle pain for over a week and had to leave today's game after the injury worsened during a pinch-hit appearance in the ninth inning. The Diamondbacks Marte was benched for three games this week and was not in the starting lineup today to keep him even fresher, but Marte was injured on a check swing during the second pitch of his at-bat from the bench. Manager Torey Lovullo told Brian Murphy of MLB.com and other media after the game that Marte “just needs a little rest“ and that “I think we are in a good place” with the injury, though the captain isn't sure when Marte will be back in the lineup. Marte, a candidate for NL MVP this season, has been the driving factor for Arizona's offense with 30 home runs and a .298/.370/.560 slash line over a smooth .500 PA. Losing him for an extended period of time isn't ideal in a tight playoff race, but with the D'Backs having off days on August 22 and 26, a 10-day IL stint now would give Marte a chance to recover while minimizing the number of games he would actually miss.
• After he caught a ball in the seventh inning of today's 3-2 win and landed on his right shoulder, Mets Loss against the Marlins, Brandon Nimmo felt pain in his shoulder during his at-bat in the bottom half of the inning, as he told Mike Puma of the New York Post and other reporters. Nimmo was replaced in left field for the eighth inning and will undergo an MRI tomorrow to determine the extent of his injury. The outfielder missed some time at the end of the 2023 season due to a right shoulder sprain and was known to be plagued by injuries early in his career, but Nimmo has been pretty robust over the past three years, playing in 419 of a possible 448 games since Opening Day 2022. Despite a very inconsistent performance at the plate this season, Nimmo still has a 119 wRC+ off a .229/.343/.414 slash line, 11 stolen bases and 18 home runs, including a longball in today's game before his injury. With Starling Marte just returned from the IL today, New York's outfield was seemingly back to full strength, but now Jesse Winker, Thomas B.And Jeff McNeil could all be moved to left field if Nimmo himself has to go on the injured list.